Three young girls walk with a banner supporting their friend Natalie during FSU’s Light the Night Walk last November. / Riley Shaaber/FSView

Written by

Krista Wright

Contributing Writer

Illuminated balloons float through the air supporting Leukemia and Lymphoma research during FSU’s Light the Night Walk. The next walk will be held on FSU’s Langford Green Thursday, Nov. 15. / Riley Shaaber/FSView

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Langford Green will be illuminated with hundreds of lit balloons on Thursday, Nov. 15, as FSU hosts its annual “Light the Night Walk.”

A 5K run or walk fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, FSU’s local version of the national organization’s walk will begin at 4:30 p.m. and end at 10:30 p.m.

Each color balloon held by a walker represents something different: white balloons are carried by survivors, red by supporters and gold by walkers remembering a loved one who lost their fight to cancer.

The walkers will be directed to traverse the campus and there will be food, games for children, live entertainment and a DJ.

FSU’s chapter of Light the Night was established in 2007 and is the only Light the Night in the nation that is coordinated and run by university students.

The mission for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is to find cures for Leukemia, Lymphoma, Hodgkin’s Disease and Myeloma, to improve the quality of life of patients and their families and also to spread awareness.

Taylor Newsome, a Media and Communication Studies major and president of the FSU chapter and is coordinating the event.

“Every four minutes, a person is diagnosed with a blood cancer, and with the help from average people like us, who raise money and get donations, we can help fight those blood cancers,” Newsome said.

The walk is open to anyone in the community, but because it is hosted and run by FSU, the walk consists mainly of students. About 2,000 people have been expected to show up for the event, and the organization hopes to grow that number every year.

Funds raised by walkers, donations, and share events go toward research for blood cancers, free educational materials and events for patients and families and local programs such as family support groups.

The event is sponsored by the Student Government Association and the Office of Servant Leadership as well as numerous restaurants and bars in the Tallahassee area that have participated in share nights, where local businesses donate proceeds from customers claiming to be supporters of this event.

According to Newsome, planning the event is a year long process.

“We have an Overall Planning Committee that is broken up into five committees that meet weekly beginning in January or February,” Newsome said. “The sooner the planning begins, the bigger and better the walk can be.”

Light the Night’s kickoff week was Oct. 1-4 and had an event every night to begin fundraising. AJ’s, Potbelly’s, Genghis Grill and Red Elephant among others, have been involved in share nights since the kickoff week.

According to Newsome, the goal for the entire community is $200,000, but the goal for the FSU community is $50,000.

“Last year, we were able to meet our goal, and as of [Nov. 8] we have reached 56 percent of our goal,” said Newsome. “We hope in the next week before the walk we can raise that number even higher.”

Although Newsome personally hasn’t been affected by blood cancers, he says there are numerous people on the committees who have. Some have lost, some have won and some are still fighting.

“Being involved in an organization such as this is a fantastic way to help those who need it,” Newsome says.